Four years after the start of an economic recovery, most consumers are still watching closely their holiday spending with them intending to spend less -- or nothing at all, according to an annual survey released Monday. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Attorney, in 1962 became the first African-American graduate of the University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale; age 77.

» I was born in Sanford, Florida, which used to be a totally segregated community. When I was in college, I was home for a visit and went to the public library to do some research for a project, and I was told that I couldn’t come into the white library. I just walked past the lady and found the books I needed and sat down. They whispered and pointed, but nobody beat me up, so I did my research.

The 2013 hurricane season has not lived up to predictions. With only four weeks left, it will probably go down as the slowest season since 1982. What happened? Are we entering a slowdown in hurricane activity? [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Benefits, And Barriers, To Early Learning In Florida

Florida’s legislative session is months away, but educators and politicians are already talking about making early childhood education a priority. Research has shown that children who get high-quality early learning—where instructors are trained in child development and reading and learning are encouraged through play—are more likely graduate high school and go on to college. [Source: StateImpact Florida]

Shuttered Florida Prisons Could Be Re-Opened

One year after Florida closed several prisons to save money, the state insists it must re-open some of them because of a growing inmate population. The Department of Corrections wants the Legislature to appropriate $59 million to open nine shuttered facilities next year from Miami to the Panhandle. [Source: CBS Miami]

› Carnival Corp. shuffles the deck of top execs [Miami Herald] Longtime Carnival Corp. right-hand man Howard Frank is stepping down from his role as chief operating officer and vice chairman, the Miami-based cruise company said Monday. The announcement came amid news of other changes at the top of some of the company’s North American brands.

› Top Latin American startups to compete at eMerge Americas [Miami Herald] The team behind EMerge Americas, a large technology conference set for May 2-6 in Miami Beach, announced Monday that Latin America’s top incubators and accelerators will be participating in the conference’s “winner take all” eMerge Demo Day Challenge.

› A snapshot of Orlando job market after the recession [Orlando Sentinel] To understand how badly Central Florida's job market tanked during the economic downturn, consider these numbers: Within 22 months, 10 percent of the area's jobs vanished, as employment plunged from almost 1.1 million in March 2008 to 985,000 in January 2010. The collapse was so severe that the region is digging out almost four years later.

› What happened to the Do Not Call List[WZVN] When it comes to consumer complaints in Florida, calls from telemarketers rank first on the list. Most people have heard of the National Do Not Call Registry. There is also a Florida Do Not Call List. The lists were created to silence the unwanted calls.